


Mending

by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor)



Series: Valentine's Kisses 2019 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of severe injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 08:49:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17261204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor/pseuds/Karasuno%20Volleygays
Summary: Tobio hadn't left his bedroom in a week, and Tadashi knew it was his fault. However, he wasn't going to give up until he made things right for Tobio, forthem.





	Mending

The door was shut tight and locked in front of Tadashi, but it wasn’t the only thing closed off to him. His head rested wearily against the wall, eyes closed as he struggled to remember what things were like before the accident. 

What  _ they _ were like.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and Tadashi glanced to his side. Vivid blue eyes so much like his son’s, framed with the creases of middle age, accompanied a sad smile. “He’s been like this for almost a week, Yamaguchi-kun. Don’t take it personally.”

“I can’t leave him like this, Kageyama-san.” Tadashi’s hands balled into fists and he took a deep breath. “He deserves better than this. I just need to remind him.”

Kageyama-san clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad Tobio has friends like you who won’t give up on him. It’s something he’s needed for a long time.” With that, Tobio’s father left Tadashi to his own devices to extract one miserable Kageyama Tobio from his bedroom.

Staring down the door, Tadashi aborted his knock before his knuckles touched the wood and let his hand drop limply at his side. He had no idea what to say. How would one even attempt to console someone who had the thing that meant the most to him stripped away so suddenly and violently? And would he accept such an overture from Tadashi, of all people?

Tadashi shivered at the memory.

 

_ The ball sailed over the net, and Nishinoya-senpai received the ball in his usual fine fashion. It flew high into the air, giving Tobio enough time to take his place in the setter’s spot from the opposite side of the rotation. There was a flurry of activity as the rest of the team shifted to their respective positions. _

_ Hinata’s spike streaked to the other side of the net, and the opponents’ libero was barely able to get a few fingers under the ball to keep it in the air. Their setup was clumsy but complete, and the ball sped back to Karasuno’s side of the court.  _

_ Tadashi dove to keep the ball in play, but the receive was way right of center. Tobio jogged backwards, his eyes on the ball as he moved. He was nearly under the ball when it happened. _

_ All eyes on the court and in the bleachers grew wide as they watched Kageyama Tobio, the best setter in all of Miyagi and one of the best in the country, slip on a stray puddle of sweat and fall straight into the net pole. _

_ The scream that tore from Tobio’s throat made Tadashi shudder, so discordant against the buzzing silence in the gymnasium. As he crumpled to the ground, face pinched and red as he struggled to move, Tobio clutched his left arm. Blood drizzled from his forearm, and Tadashi nearly retched when he saw a piece of bone jutting from the wound. _

_ Coach Ukai was at Tobio’s side in the blink of an eye, and the medics on hand were not far behind. Their teammates flocked around to witness the gruesome spectacle, but Tadashi remained frozen in place. _

_ He barely registered the hand on his shoulder, but Tadashi did hear Tsukki’s voice permeate the haze in his brain. “It’s not your fault.” _

Yes, it is, _ Tadashi thought. It was his poor receive that made Tobio step into that puddle and lose his footing and the rest of his volleyball season. _

_ And this thing between them that had been brewing since the beginning of the school year might not survive this calamity. Not when Tadashi had wrecked the most important thing in Tobio’s life with one errant receive. _

_ Yet the game pushed on with a terrified first year stepping into the setter’s role. Between the poor receives due to lack of focus and the shortage of experience, the game quickly crumbled. In two short sets, Karasuno found itself eliminated from the Interhigh in just the third round. _

_ The bus was silent on the way back to the school from the Sendai City Gymnasium. Tadashi went to the far back of the bus to be alone, and his teammates let him. Tsukki sat a couple of seats ahead, earbuds in but Tadashi could tell there was no music playing. _

_ In the clubroom, Takeda-sensei informed them that Tobio was taken to the hospital and would be there for a few days to have his arm surgically repaired. Tadashi’s ears started ringing at that scrap of news, and he stared across the room at Tobio’s locker, plastered with scraps of paper with signals and ideas for attack formations. Tobio’s nail file and school slippers sat on the shelf in the locker, their owner not present to conduct his post-match ritual of patching up his nails before heading home. _

_ The room never felt so empty before. _

_ Long after the team quietly filed out of the clubroom, Tadashi sat in place, still in uniform save for his kneepads pushed down to his ankles. The last one to leave was Takeda, who shot Tadashi a worried look while leaving him the keys to the room and instructions to lock up when he was done. _

_ The moment the door closed behind Takeda, a ragged sob echoed through the room. _

 

Tadashi’s forehead thumped against Tobio’s bedroom door. He had no idea why he was there. Other than the fact that he was desperate to make sure Tobio was okay, he wasn’t sure he had the right. 

After all, if it weren’t for his mistake, Tobio would be outside running or bickering with Hinata or napping under a tree or literally anything but barricading himself in his room like his world had just ended. For all intents and purposes, it did.

But he remembered Kageyama-san’s grateful sigh when Tadashi had shown up at their door and squared his shoulders to do what needed to be done.

“Any chance you might open the door?”

There was a long stretch of silence, and Tadashi was sure his plea had gone unheard until he noticed the telltale click of the lock opening. The door slid to the side, and Tadashi sucked in a shocked breath when he saw Tobio. Hair greasy and tousled, eyes hollow and bruised from lack of sleep, Tadashi could safely say that Tobio looked like hell.

Tobio stepped aside to let Tadashi into the room, gaze glued to the floor. A cold blast of air from the unit over the window met Tadashi’s skin as he entered, yet he could see beads of sweat dripping down Tobio’s red face. 

When Tadashi looked at Tobio even closer, he noticed the shallow breathing and the pinched mouth. He swallowed hard. “Does it hurt?”

Nodding, Tobio drifted back over to his bed on shaky legs and dropped onto the edge. He didn’t object when Tadashi carefully sat down next to him on the left. The black plaster cast in a sling was all Tadashi could look at, the stark evidence of his failure both on court and as Tobio’s friend and maybe-something-more.

Desperate to draw his attention to anything else, Tadashi’s eyes darted around the room until they fell on a bottle of medication on Tobio’s nightstand. “What are those?”

“Nothing.” Tobio’s voice was flat and bitter.

Not satisfied with that answer, Tadashi reached over to grab the bottle and read the label. “Norco,” he read aloud. “These are pain pills. If you have these, then why does your arm still hurt so bad?”

Tobio didn’t reply, and Tadashi had all he needed to know. “Why aren’t you taking these? You have to be miserable, being in so much pain.”

Shuddering, Tobio answered quietly, “It gives me nightmares.”

Tadashi’s heart lurched. Tobio’s predicament rapidly became clear. “So if you take them, you sleep but you have nightmares. If you don’t, then you can’t sleep because of the pain.” When Tobio nodded woodenly, Tadashi dropped his forehead on Tobio’s shoulder and croaked, “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“No.” Tobio wrenched away and glared at Tadashi. “Don’t do that.”

Throat tight and eyes itching with tears, Tadashi buried his face in his hands. His worst fears about the situation were all coming terribly to fruition. Tobio was miserable, couldn’t play volleyball, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t even function, and he absolutely knew that Tadashi was to blame for it.

He didn’t expect Tobio to grab him by the arm and shake him. “If you’re here because you feel guilty, then leave. It’s not your fault, and you can’t make me say that it is.”

Tadashi froze. Was he there because he felt guilty? He recalled a week’s worth of practices, looking over at Tobio’s dormant locker and wishing he had any kind of power to set things to right. Did he feel guilty? Absolutely. 

But when he thought about going so long without seeing Tobio bicker with Hinata or sit under a tree at lunch and take a nap, the only time his resting bitchface ever melted away of its own accord, Tadashi’s entire being demanded he not let the situation continue.

“I’m not leaving.” Tadashi stood and loomed over Tobio, arms crossed and lips tugged into a stern line. “Not until you stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out of this room.” He sniffed the air and cringed. “ _ And _ take a shower.”

Tobio’s cheeks reddened and he looked away, murmuring something Tadashi couldn’t make out. Finally, Tobio sighed and repeated loud enough for Tadashi to hear, “I can’t undress myself.”

The confession was the right level of absurd and heartbreaking to coax a sigh from Tadashi. “Then I’ll help you.”

Wide-eyed, Tobio allowed himself to be shepherded to the bathroom adjoining his bedroom, sputtering but not fighting Tadashi as he was stripped from head to toe. Tadashi averted his eyes from certain parts, as he was just interested enough in Tobio in  _ that _ way to make it creepy if he didn’t, but he didn’t waver until he saw Tobio in the shower stall and under a stream of desperately needed hot water.

Observing the best he could to respect Tobio’s privacy, Tadashi noticed Tobio struggling in the shower through the glass door of the stall. Moving from his seat on the toilet lid, Tadashi cracked open the door. “Do you need help?” Tobio’s shoulders sagged and he nodded. “Give me a minute.”

Tadashi peeled off his own clothes and slipped into the small shower cubicle aside Tobio. There was little elbow room, but there was enough for Tadashi to lather and rinse Tobio’s hair and then work from head to toe with the shower scrubber. Tobio stood still all the while, angling his cast away from the stream of water.

A half hour later, Tobio was clean, dressed, and more relaxed than he had been since Tadashi had arrived. Tobio helped the best he could while Tadashi stripped the bed linens that were ripe with sweat and changed them for fresh ones. The whole stinky pile of clothes and sheets went straight into the wash. 

Tobio’s parents both watched in shock as their son emerged from his room for the first time since he came home from the hospital.

“Come on,” Tadashi ordered once the laundry was started. “You’re going to need some stuff if you don’t want a shower buddy for the next few months.”

Together, they walked to a nearby pharmacy, where they picked up a variety of things to make Tobio’s road to recovery a little less frustrating. A plastic sleeve to cover his cast, a shower sponge on a stick, bottles with pumps, and dry shampoo all made it into the basket Tadashi carried. 

On the walk back to the Kageyama residence, Tadashi was keenly aware of Tobio’s flagging energy. He wondered how much sleep Tobio had managed since he stopped taking his pain medication, and he didn’t think he would like the answer at all. For someone at Tobio’s energy and motivation level to be so run down, Tadashi could scarcely imagine how exhausted he would be.

After unpacking all of their acquisitions, Tadashi sat on the edge of Tobio’s bed and said, “Now you need to take a break.”

Tobio didn’t object, and he slumped to a seat next to Tadashi. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He looped an arm around Tobio’s shoulders. His eyes fell on the scarcely used bottle of pills on the nightstand. “You need sleep. Are you going to try taking them again?”

Swallowing hard, Tobio’s gaze drifted over to the meds, as well. “I — I don’t know if I can. When I wake up, I’m alone and —” He shivered.

Tadashi tightened his hold on Tobio. “Would it help if I stayed with you?”

Mouth open for what Tadashi was sure would be a denial, Tobio offered him a slight upward twitch of his lip and admitted, “Yes.”

“Then I’ll stay.” Tadashi reached up and ran the backs of his fingers down the line of Tobio’s jaw. “Whatever you need.” He texted his mother that he wouldn’t be returning home that night before Tobio could change his mind.

Finally, Tobio took his pain medication and joined his parents for dinner with Tadashi in tow. Afterward, despite it being only a little after eight, they began preparing for bed. Tadashi helped Tobio strip down to his boxers and t-shirt before doing the same.

However, when Tadashi wadded up his jeans into a makeshift pillow and eased down onto the floor, Tobio shook his head. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

Tadashi was about to mention that he didn’t mind (and he truly did not), but stopped when he saw the plea in Tobio’s eyes. Tobio would never ask it of him, but Tadashi knew what he needed.

“You mind sharing?” Tobio gestured toward the empty space between himself and the wall, and Tadashi crawled into it from the foot of the bed. “Thanks.”

They lay on their sides watching each other, and Tobio’s eyelids were flagging by the second. Relieved and elated and grateful for this development, Tadashi reached over and threaded his fingers with Tobio’s and gave his hand a squeeze. “Good night, Tobio.”

Tobio’s eyes opened, and Tadashi was about to ask what was wrong when Tobio listed forward and brushed his lips against Tadashi’s. 

Both their faces turned bright red, but neither of them hid from the other’s gaze. “Good night, Tadashi.” Tobio finally let the rigors of the day overcome him, his face falling slack with peace once again.

As Tobio had predicted, he thrashed himself awake a little past midnight, sitting straight up in bed panting and shivering. Tadashi was jarred back to consciousness, and he rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he propped himself up on his elbows. He frowned when he saw Tobio’s quaking form.

Tadashi immediately wrapped his arms around Tobio and tugged him to his chest. “You’re okay. It’s just a dream. Whatever it is, it’s not real.” Tobio buried his face into Tadashi’s shirt, and Tadashi rubbed Tobio’s back until his jagged breaths slowed and shallowed. 

Tobio sagged into Tadashi. “You’re okay.” His throat felt tight as he bore Tobio’s limp weight. “Let it out so you can go back to sleep.”

Within minutes, Tadashi could hear the soft wheeze of sleep, and he looked down to find Tobio on his shoulder, out like a light. His own anxiety unwound itself in his gut, and he gently lowered both of them back onto the bed and kept Tobio gathered in his arms as he drifted back off himself.

The next morning, Tadashi awoke to Tobio nestled against his side and watching him with wide blue eyes. Biting back a yawn, Tadashi drawled, “Hey.”

“It really isn’t your fault,” Tobio blurted. “You need to know that.”

Tadashi babbled something even he could not make out about bad receives and ruining everything, but Tobio cut off his stream of stammered apology with a single finger pressing his lips closed. “It was my fault, not yours.” Tadashi shook his head adamantly, but Tobio shushed him and explained, “Running backwards was stupid. I should’ve turned to get under the ball, but I wanted to sneak in a fast attack and I didn’t have a bead on Hinata yet. The other team wouldn’t expect one on an off-target receive. It’s my fault.”

As Tadashi began putting the pieces together, with Tobio cutting himself off from everything and his ill humor and bad dreams. It wasn’t just grief over a lost season; it was punishment. 

He gave Tobio a watery smile and flicked him in the forehead. “Bakayama. Stop scaring the people who care about you.” He pecked a kiss on Tobio’s forehead and slid down the length of the bed and looked around the room. Sniffing the air, Tadashi wrinkled his nose. “And open a window.”

Tobio scrambled to comply, turning off the air conditioner and opening his bedroom window, sending a rush of fresh air into the stagnant room. Tadashi grinned and held out a hand. “Now, let’s have breakfast and rediscover humanity, okay?”

Hand in hand, they emerged to join Tobio’s parents for breakfast and were sent off with blessings to make one more stop for the day. Soon, they wound up outside the Karasuno second gym, where Saturday morning boys volleyball practice was just about to commence.

As soon as they entered the gym, all gazes fell upon the team’s missing setter, and Tobio gave a grumpy little nod. Tadashi snorted at the normality of the gesture. Tobio swatted at Hinata as he bounded over to harass his partner, and the familiar din of their bickering filled the gym.

Leaning up against the padded gym wall, Tadashi sighed and closed his eyes, a relieved smile on his face. He felt someone prop up against the wall next to him, and Tadashi didn’t need to look to know who it was. 

“He’s almost his normal annoying self again,” Tsukki remarked. “Any ritual sacrifice involved?”

Tadashi chuckled. “Nah, he just needed a push in the right direction. And a shower.”

Tsukki’s face twisted in distaste, but he didn’t probe further. 

The two of them joined the crowd around Tobio, who was already cornering their first year backup setter to talk shop. After a brief gathering to welcome Tobio back to the gym, Tadashi scrambled from the gym to get ready for practice. To his relief, Tobio lingered to guide his protege with patience that belied his usual demeanor, but the Tobio he spent the morning with was definitely shining through.

After practice, the two of them meandered off together back toward Tobio’s house, but a block before they arrived, Tobio stopped and grabbed Tadashi’s arm. “I’m bad at this, and I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say it.” Tobio’s eyes widened at that revelation, and Tadashi couldn’t help but grin. “You should see your face right now. It’s kind of cute.”

Tobio blushed, but he didn’t look away as he grasped the nape of Tadashi’s neck with his good hand and brought their mouths together. Tadashi’s arms curled over Tobio’s shoulders of their own accord, and he didn’t think they had ever been so close together before.

Stoic, standoffish Kageyama Tobio wanted him, and Tadashi wanted him right back. The tentative threads of their almost-relationship only a week before had woven into something warm and strong. Tobio’s lips were unpracticed and a little bit chapped, and Tadashi loved every part of this new development.

Breathless and reeling, Tadashi clung to Tobio even after their kiss broke off, the only barrier between them the lumpy length of Tobio’s cast. 

When he could breathe, could  _ think  _ again, Tadashi murmured, “I should go home for a while, but I’ll come back tonight. You don’t have to be alone.”

A crooked smile graced Tobio’s lips, and Tadashi’s belly clenched at the sight. “I’ll be waiting,” Tobio said before he resumed his trek home, and already Tadashi couldn’t wait to see him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to my aching universe where Kageyama breaks his arm in his second year and misses most of the season.


End file.
